WMVO Good Times Great Oldies
MOUNT VERNON, Ohio (April 7, 2022) — Mount Vernon Nazarene University planted two trees on April 7 in celebration of the 150th anniversary of Arbor Day.
A Fort McNair Red Horse Chestnut and a male Ginkgo were added to the campus tree population as part of the university’s efforts to increase shade canopy and develop sustainable campus beautification. Currently, the campus is at approximately 40 percent shade canopy.
“The addition of new trees to the MVNU campus each year expands our botanical biodiversity, which also aids the learning process,” said Dr. Jon Bossley, Associate Professor of Biology. “Our General Botany, Field Botany, and Principles of Ecology courses routinely use the campus for outdoor labs. Our long-term vision is to develop a full-scale arboretum on campus to provide students with direct access to the variety of tree species and growth forms that can be found in Ohio in both natural forests as well as ornamental landscapes.”
Assisting in the plantings were members of Campus Tree Advisory Committee:
•Ben Cook — Director of Facilities Services (Chair)
•Dr. Jon Bossley — Faculty Representative
•Heather Hoag — Staff Representative
•Brent Overholt — Horticultural Design Coordinator
•Kiera Jones and Owen Adkins, — Student Representatives
•Dr. Randy Cronk — Community Representative
Students Cole Lape, Naomi Weaver and Sidney Van Fossen also assisted with the plantings.
MVNU recognized the importance of Arbor Day early this year as the official date, April 29, coincides with the start of commencement activities on campus.
“It is wonderful to see the beauty and diversity of trees we now have on this campus that was almost entirely agricultural fields when the university was founded,” said Professor Tim Radcliffe, Faculty Representative of the Campus Tree Advisory Committee. “There have been decades of stewardship by those who cared for the campus landscape, and the Campus Tree Advisory Committee is privileged to continue this legacy. The trees planted today will hopefully have a lasting impact beyond our time at MVNU.”
The university will receive its third straight Tree Campus Higher Education designation during a ceremony on April 21.
